GameStop Making Up for Deux Ex PC Snafu

GameStop offering a gift card and coupon to Deus Ex PC purchasers

After the Internet lit up with stories of GameStop locations pulling free game codes from the PC version of Deux Ex: Human Revolution, the gaming retailer went on the defensive. Eventually, they reached an agreement with publisher Square Enix to recall all of the PC copies in stock, and ship out new ones sans OnLive digital download.

Now GameStop is entering the "we're sorry" phase, sending out an e-mail to customers who purchased the title on PC, and offering up a compensation package that is wholly unexpected. Consumers who picked the title up minus the code can head to their local store with the e-mail (and receipt) to recieve a $50 gift card and a coupon for "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" used games.

The gesture of goodwill is a loose admittance they screwed up without actually admitting they did anything wrong. The debacle should have been contained behind the scenes with Square Enix, not on the store shelves leaving employees in a bad light.

The deal is more than adequate regardless of their errant actions, especially since the OnLive coupon would have only secured another copy of the same game, just in a different format. Now with the coupon, it's tantamount to a completely free game, and on GameStop's dime. That's a generous kiss-and-make-up effort.

Matt Paprocki is a 13-year veteran of the video game, movie, and home media scene. He has written thousands of reviews, has been published on a variety of websites, and contributes his thoughts daily on a diverse range of topics.